Can't help but wonder of governors missed an opportunity here. They could have been the heroes. Instead they sat back and allowed the President to swoop in. Christians and others are going to remember this. Master stroke by the Prez.

The federal constitution only applies to the federal government. You have to look to your state’s constitution for non-interference with worship from your state government. I would be surprised if it wasn’t in there.

To clarify my position, I do not agree with the use of the Incorporation Doctrine applied by some people to the 14th Amendment. To use this doctrine because one wants to achieve a certain result through federal power also opens the door to the use of the doctrine to achieve results through federal power that I imagine most of us posting in this section of this message board disagree with, e.g., nationwide legalization of abortion and same-sex marriage. Using this doctrine simply results in being hoisted on one’s own petard. I believe we should keep the federal government limited and work through state and local governments to achieve political goals. It is much safer for our liberties overall. It is much easier to move to a different state than to a different country, if one thinks his liberties are being trampled upon by government.

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To clarify my position, I do not agree with the use of the Incorporation Doctrine applied by some people to the 14th Amendment. To use this doctrine because one wants to achieve a certain result through federal power also opens the door to the use of the doctrine to achieve results through federal power that I imagine most of us posting in this section of this message board disagree with, e.g., nationwide legalization of abortion and same-sex marriage. Using this doctrine simply results in being hoisted on one’s own petard. I believe we should keep the federal government limited and work through state and local governments to achieve political goals. It is much safer for our liberties overall. It is much easier to move to a different state than to a different country, if one thinks his liberties are being trampled upon by government.

Not only the Bill of rights, but all amendments and the entire Constitution.

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“Despite orthodox legal theory, history proves that incorporation of the Bill of Rights against the states was not intended by the 14th Amendment, and in the contemporary federal judges most often use the theory as an excuse to meddle with the internal affairs of the states. In effect, the incorporation doctrine allows federal judges to rule by personal preference rather than original intent. By overriding the independent will of the states, incorporation has effectively transformed the federal judiciary into an oligarchy.”

“Despite orthodox legal theory, history proves that incorporation of the Bill of Rights against the states was not intended by the 14th Amendment, and in the contemporary federal judges most often use the theory as an excuse to meddle with the internal affairs of the states. In effect, the incorporation doctrine allows federal judges to rule by personal preference rather than original intent. By overriding the independent will of the states, incorporation has effectively transformed the federal judiciary into an oligarchy.”